后 — “empress” in Japanese

Grade 6こう, きさき

Radical ⼝ · radical 30 The building block this kanji is filed under

“empress” in Japanese is 后, read kou, kisaki (こう, きさき). It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 皇后 (empress).

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What does 后 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	后
Meaning	empress
Readings	こう, きさき
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	皇后 (empress)

How to read 后

后 is read kou (こう) or kisaki (きさき) depending on the word.

Words with 后

皇后

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Kanji read the same way as 后

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Updated: 2026-08-28